


How an Angel Gets Its Wings

by ZaccRiseC3P



Series: Hard to Find, Hard to Keep, Hard to Forget [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Childhood, Cloqwork Family, Family Bonding, Found Family, Gen, Growing Up, M/M, Next Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent-Child Relationship, cloqwork, dadpin, ozqrow - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:48:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28701699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZaccRiseC3P/pseuds/ZaccRiseC3P
Summary: Aaliyah Branwen-Cael has a lot to live up to.  Both of her fathers are renowned huntsmen- fighters of unbelievable skill.  Her brother is nothing short of a prodigy, making fightingandleadership look easy.  One of her cousins is the youngest student to ever graduate from Beacon Academy, and her other relatives aren't exactly pushovers.  So where does that leave Ali?  After all, she's just a scared little girl in comparison.  And the kicker?  She's getting ready to enter Beacon with her semblance still marked as "unknown."
Relationships: Oscar Pine & Original Character(s), Ozpin (RWBY) & Original Character(s), Qrow Branwen & Original Character(s), Qrow Branwen/Ozpin
Series: Hard to Find, Hard to Keep, Hard to Forget [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1872730
Kudos: 4





	1. A Little Help Goes a Long Way

**Author's Note:**

> Finally posting the first chapter of part 3 of this series! I'm so excited to share this with you guys! If you're new here, this is the first next gen fic in a series about a select few ships becoming canon. This specific work is the Cloqwork Next Gen portion, focused on their youngest adopted child, an OC of mine named Aaliyah. If you want to start from the beginning you can check out the fic focused on the development of Oz and Qrow's relationship [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24565957/chapters/59327599). Other than that, I hope you enjoy this story!

_Wind in my hair. Wings on my back. The world sprawled out before me. What could be better than this?_

The beautiful gulf that spilled into Vale’s harbor raced by as Aaliyah soared through the air. Sunlight hit the water below, making it look as though the stars had fallen to Remnant and landed in the waves. Mountains stretched for miles along the horizon, acting as natural barriers to the city Ali called home for almost eighteen years. She hoped to call it home for a hundred more.

As the huntress-in-training continued her flight, the glowing blue wings produced by her semblance glided effortlessly through the air. She continued to soar, careening left, then right, ever so slightly, just to make the travel a little more interesting.

After a moment, the bustling streets of Vale came into view. People walking on the sidewalks looked like little ants, determined to get to their next location with efficiency. Ali recognized some of the places she was flying over without being able to read the signs on the storefronts. She recognized the movie theater that her cousins, Ruby and Yang, used to take her to as a kid. She picked out the Elk’s Diner- her friends’ favorite eating establishment in the city. She even figured out which store was her cousin Blake’s book shop. Every location brought back fond memories. Memories of a time before training and Beacon and fighting Grimm.

 _Simpler times_ , Ali laughed to herself.

Not that she regretted enrolling in Beacon. On the contrary, after her first year wrapped up, she realized it was the best decision she’s made yet- and it wasn’t just because her father was the headmaster. No. She _wanted_ to be a huntress. And now more than ever, she knew she was going to be a damn good one. 

But it wasn’t always this way.

There was a time in her life when Ali was just a scared little girl. A time before she got her semblance, before she met her friends, before she fully accepted that she didn’t have to do everything alone. A time when she needed a little help to get her wings.

~~~~~~~~~~

_“Dad! Dad!! Brother?! Anyone!”_

_Ali’s voice was starting to give out, but she couldn’t give up. She couldn’t accept that her family might have left her… again._

_The house was dark, still, quiet. Moonlight seeped in through the windows, casting a faint rectangle of light down the hallway. Not a sound could be heard. The night was as silent and stagnant as the inside of the house. Ali walked gingerly down the hallway, her hand gliding over the wall to give her a sense of direction. The shadows draped over the walls made the hair on her neck stand straight up, like she was just waiting for something to jump out and grab her._

_Eventually, she made it to her brother’s room, but something was wrong. Every piece of furniture was missing, up and vanished, and there was no sign of Oscar anywhere._

_“Brother?” Ali whimpered._

__Where did he go? __

_Suddenly, the lights flickered on, and Ali looked down the hallway to see if anyone was watching her. Nothing. The lights went out again and when she turned her attention back to her brother’s room, his furniture had returned. His bed sat in the right corner, his desk on the left wall, still covered in the books he never cleaned off it. But there was still no sign of the boy himself._

_Gingerly, Ali stepped into the room and walked over to her brother’s bed. The covers were messy, bunched up, like someone might be asleep in them._

_“Oscar...” Ali said weakly as she pulled the covers away. No such luck. The only thing that rested underneath the blanket was her circular, silver locket. Her initials- “A.C.”- engraved with a feather intertwined in the letters. She smiled slightly as she picked it up. It clicked when she pulled it open, but she didn’t see what she was expecting. Instead of the photos that were supposed to be kept safe in the piece of jewelry, there was nothing. The silver backing was engraved with a message Ali knew wasn’t there before: “They left you, for good.”_

_A screech ripped through the air as Ali flinched, dropping the locket on the floor. It hit the ground silently and dissipated on impact._

Ali’s eyes snapped open as she woke with a start. For a moment, she laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling.

It happened again. That same damn nightmare. Alone in an empty house, darkness and shadows around every corner, her family just up and vanished without a trace. Ever since the morning her fathers and brother left her alone without warning she’s had to deal with the awful dream from time to time. It was exhausting. The incident happened almost two years ago. Her fathers more than apologized and went out of their way to prove that they would never walk out on her like that. So why wouldn’t the nightmare just _go away_?

The eight-year-old threw the thought to the side and slipped out from under her comforter. Gingerly, she put her feet on the floor and took a deep breath. Looking to her left, she saw her locket sitting on her nightstand. Her _real_ locket. She picked it up and opened it to confirm. A smile played at her lips as she looked at the small, circular versions of her two favorite pictures.

On the left side was a picture of her at just four years old, draped over the shoulders of her mother. The smiles on their faces made the picture look twice as bright, and Ali didn’t even care that she could no longer remember the context the photo was taken in. She remembered her mother. The woman who cared for her and nurtured her for six years until her own health gave out and she “moved on to a better place.” At least, that’s how the doctor had explained it to Ali that day in the hospital.

On the right side was a more recent picture- a picture that more accurately represented the life Ali lived now. It was taken not that long ago by her cousin at a family gathering. Ali was the only one looking at the camera as her dad, Qrow, held her and tried to tuck her hair behind her ear. Meanwhile, her older brother, Oscar, has her other father distracted, pointing at something out of view. Both Ozpin and Oscar have huge smiles on their faces as Oscar is reaching up to grab Oz’s hand. The photo is chaotic and unstaged. It’s almost impossible to tell what’s happening in it because of the small size of the locket. But Ali knew what it looked like, and that was good enough.

As the eight year old stood up, she replaced the locket and stretched her arms above her head. The nightmare had jolted her awake, there was no point in trying to sleep again.

No matter how many times she was haunted by this dream, it always ate at her. As she stood next to her bed she couldn’t help but wonder: What if they _did_ leave this time? The thought was baseless, anxiety driven, and impractical. But she couldn’t let it go. She had to check.

Cautiously, she made her way to her closed bedroom door and opened it. A high-pitched creaking sound filled the hallway as the hinges twisted. The dark haired girl paused a moment to see if anyone heard. Coast was clear. She stepped out, walking down the hall to her brother’s room. Luckily, Oscar liked to sleep with his door cracked slightly, so Ali didn’t have to worry about the sound of the door waking him up. She quickly peaked her head in and watched his bed for a moment. There was a lump in the covers, gently moving up and down with the steady rhythm of Oscar’s breathing.

 _He’s still here_ , Ali smiled to herself. On to the next room.

Approaching her fathers’ room required a little more caution. While Qrow could sleep through a goddamn hurricane, Oz was another story. That man would wake up at the drop of a hat- or the squeak of a floor board. Ali stepped on the wrong plank and a slight crack emanated through the house. Out of the darkness, the eight year old heard a voice ask, “Ali? Is that you?”

Ali flinched, “Yeah, sorry, Dad. I was trying not to wake you.”

Through the small crack in the door, Ali saw a figure sit up and get out of bed. Her father came into view as he approached the door, gesturing for her to step back as he entered the hallway and quietly closed the door behind him, careful not to wake the sleeping crow. “What are you doing awake, sweetheart?” he asked. The fact that it was two o’clock in the morning only added to his concern.

“I- I had another nightmare…” Ali finally said.

The six foot six giant knelt down to meet his daughter’s eyes. “Was it the same one as last time?”

A sheepish nod was all Ali could manage.

Oz tilted his head. “Are you ok?”

“I think so but… But I…” Ali couldn’t finish her point. Her gaze shifted to her dark, lonely room. A look of dread poured through her bright, sky blue eyes.

Oz offered a gentle smile. “You’re not ready to go back to bed?”

Ali dropped her head, worried that her father would be upset by her answer. “Yeah, not yet,” she admitted.

“That’s alright. We’ll stay up together.”

The child’s eyes lit up and a smile grew quickly as she lifted her head. She was hoping he would say that.

“Come here,” Oz grunted with the effort as he lifted his daughter and put her on his hip.

As quietly as he could, Oz carried Ali downstairs and made a beeline for the kitchen. Gently, he set her down on a stool at the kitchen counter. Not even bothering to turn the lights on, with only moonlight shining through to guide him, Oz started opening cabinets and moving dishes around. It took Ali about ten seconds to figure out what he was doing. “Are you making hot chocolate right now?” the girl asked accusingly.

With a devious smile on his face, Oz answered, “Yes, as a matter of fact I am.” He turned around and asked, “Would you like some?”

Nodding emphatically, Ali whispered, “Yes please!”

“You have to promise me something first.”

“What?”

Oz cupped his hand around his mouth and whispered, “You can’t tell your father.”

“Ok, I can keep that promise!” Ali giggled.

“Good girl.”

Despite the occasional nightmares, Ali didn’t regret agreeing to be adopted into the Branwen family. The simple fact that they even gave her a choice at just six years old made her feel like they had her best interests at heart. They wanted to warn her that being Qrow’s child could come at a price. A curse of bad luck follows him and would inevitably affect Ali at some point, too. But she didn’t care. Curse or not, she had a good feeling about these three, and she wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to find a home. Early hiccups notwithstanding, that’s exactly what she got.

Finally, Oz placed a half-full cup of cocoa in front of his daughter, warning, “Be careful. It’s hot.”

“Thank you, Dad,” Ali giggled.

“You’re welcome, Angel.”

Ali pulled the drink closer to her and blew on it in a minimal effort to cool it down. It was still way too hot to take a sip. A second passed in silence before Oz wondered aloud, “Do you want to talk about the nightmare you had?”

The smile on Ali’s face faded and her eyes went blank. She stared straight down, eyes fixed on the mug her hands were wrapped around. _Did_ she want to talk about it?

“What if we play the story game with it?” Oz asked gently.

A devious grin slowly grew on Ali’s face, like a flower starting to bloom. Without looking up, Ali teased, “Even _you_ couldn’t make a happy ending for this one!”

“Are you questioning my story-telling skills?”

Finally, she met his eyes, determined to stump him. “Yeah! I am!”

“Then let’s put them to the test, shall we?”

Without hesitation, Ali launched into a long, detailed explanation of her nightmare with a smile on her face, hoping that her dream made it as difficult as possible to create a fun narrative out of something so dark and bleak. 

Of course, she underestimated her father, as he spun it into a cute tale in which Ali was simply walking around the house, playing hide and seek with her brother and cousins. 

“Why did the lights flicker?”

“It was Yang trying to throw you off as you looked for them.”

“How did the furniture reappear?”

“When you looked away, Ruby used her semblance to put everything back.”

“What about the locket?”

“Well, your brother does have a tendency to go overboard with his pranks from time to time.”

Oz had an answer for everything and after a while, Ali started to believe him. Maybe it was an innocent game after all.

Now that Ali was satisfied that her nightmare was nothing to be afraid of, the conversation took on a whole new form. The two of them talked about anything and everything. Ali was most excited to tell Oz about a new friend she made at school.

“Today we got a chance to talk to the kids sitting around us and I met a boy named Abby!” Ali exclaimed. “We were both a little shy at first, but after we found something to talk about we didn’t stop.”

“And what did you learn about Abby?” Oz asked, propping his head up with his hand as he leaned on the counter.

“I found out that he wants to be a huntsman, just like me!”

“Does he now?”

“Yeah,” Ali added, “he wants to go to Signal and then Beacon! He thought it was so cool when I told him that you were the headmaster there.”

“Aa-li-yah.”

“What?”

Oz gave her side-eyed glance. “What have I told you about bragging about that?”

“I wasn’t bragging! It just seemed like it fit with what we were talking about!”

“Whether you meant to or not, it’s still a way of flaunting your privilege.”

“It’s a way of what?” the eight-year-old asked.

“A way of showing off. Of telling those around you that you have something they don’t.”

Ali hesitated, “What do I have that they don’t?”

“Many things. But in this case, two parents with extensive training in something you want to do for a living.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Oz sighed. “How many students at Beacon do you think get to train with the headmaster before they enroll?”

“Not many… I guess.”

“Try zero.”

“But Ruby and Yang did!”

“Fine. Two,” Oz conceded.

A small laugh rose in Ali’s chest.

Oz smiled back before elaborating, “My point is, not everyone has the support you and your cousins do. Some kids’ parents don’t know anything about being a huntsman, some kids don’t go to the lower level academies before they come to Beacon, and some even have to worry about their families not wanting them to become a huntsman at all.”

“But it’s not _my_ fault you adopted me!” the child reminded him, becoming defensive.

“I know,” Oz assured. “I’m not blaming you, I’m just asking you to be sensitive. Not everyone has the same experiences you do.”

Silence hung in the air as Ali looked down again, thinking about the lesson her father was trying to teach her. Sure, it was pretty cool that her dad ran the most prestigious huntsmen academy in all of Remnant, but maybe she didn’t need to bring it up every time someone mentioned the words “huntsman” or “huntress.”

After a moment, Oz prompted, “Can you do that for me?”

“Yeah…” Ali said. “I think so.”

“Thank you,” Oz nodded before placing a grateful kiss on Ali’s forehead.

As if the conversation was never interrupted, the two moved on, continuing to talk about Ali’s day at school. After that topic dried up, Ali asked Oz about his day at work. She loved hearing his stories about the students and the things they tried to get away with (especially when Teams RWBY and JNPR were involved).

Finally, half a cup of hot chocolate later, Ali failed to stifle a big yawn.

“Looks like someone is ready to go back to sleep,” Oz observed.

Ali snapped to attention, trying to prove she wasn’t tired. “No I’m not! I’m fine.”

“Ali,” Oz sighed, “you have to sleep eventually.”

“I know, but I…” Once again, her gaze shifted towards the stairs, her dread for the idea of going back up to her room etched into her face.

Oz grabbed her hand and started, “I know you’re scared…” but he didn’t know how to finish the sentence. His voice faded out.

Ali flinched, looking away, unwilling to acknowledge what her father said. Oz shook her hand a little as he suggested, “Let’s at least lie down, ok?”

“Ok…” the child managed.

Carefully, Ali slid off the stool and made her way over to the couch. She waited for Oz to lie down before climbing up and nestling herself between her dad and the back of the couch. She felt Oz press another kiss to the top of her head, and as she settled in, like a natural reflex, she heard herself whisper, “Goodnight, Dad.”

“Goodnight, Angel.”


	2. Change is Gonna Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Oz teaches Oscar a lesson the hard way and Ali gets a great idea from her new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: We need more Oz training Oscar content.  
> *crickets, crickets, crickets*  
> Me: Fine, I'll do it myself.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter XD

Change was inevitable, but that didn’t mean Ali had to like it. 

Movie weekends with Team RWBY, monthly family gatherings, playdates with Weiss and Ruby, they were all coming to an end, all because the Schnee-Rose’s had to relocate to Atlas. And for what? Just so Weiss could start running her family’s business? Ali didn’t understand it.

When she found out her cousins were moving to Atlas, the nine-year-old locked herself in her room for two days. She refused to speak and only came out of her room to eat or go to the bathroom. That was a long weekend in the Branwen household.

Clear as day, Ali could remember the last extended family gathering they had before Weiss and Ruby said “bon voyage.” How could she forget? Ruby had promised to help Ali start hand to hand combat training. They were set up in the front yard of the Xiao Long-Rose house, ready to show Ali some sparring moves. Unfortunately, Qrow had stormed out just in time to see what his nieces and daughter were up to. “Angry” doesn’t even begin to describe the expression on his face, the edge in his voice.

“She’s just a child!” he had snarled at them.

He didn’t think Ali could handle a fight. He didn’t think she was strong enough. He didn’t think she was _capable_.

But she _was_ capable, and she was ready to prove it.

On this particular afternoon, the young girl knew that Oscar was getting his first unofficial huntsman lesson from Oz, and she fully intended to participate. However, her request was met with some resistance.

“Why not?”

Ali’s voice was shrill and thin, her arms crossed in defiance. She had been pleading her case all morning, but Qrow was not going to budge on his decision.

“Because we said so,” he said shortly.

“That’s not a real answer!”  
“I don’t have to give you a _real answer_ , I’m your father.”

That was always Qrow’s response when this topic came up. The two of them had been standing in the kitchen going back and forth for almost twenty minutes. 

“Daaaaaad,” Ali whined, turning her attention to her other father. Maybe a different judge would consider her argument. “Why can’t I start training with Oscar?”

“Because we want you to grow a little more before you start,” Oz answered. “Oscar is a couple years older than you, Ali. You’ll start training when you're his age.”

“That’s two years away!” the nine year old cried.

“Yes it is,” Oz agreed, confirming her math. “And those two years will pass by fast, I promise.”

_Not fast enough._

Suddenly, a rumbling sound filled the first floor of the house as a very eager trainee came barreling down the stairs. Oscar was fully dressed in his usual work boots, patched up brown pants, white shirt, and orange suspenders and gloves. The only new addition to his outfit being the wooden dowel he held in his hands that was tall enough to reach the boy’s hip.

“I’m ready for training!” the eleven-year-old announced.

“Well, look at you, kiddo,” Qrow laughed.

Ali’s brow furrowed, “Why are you holding a stick?”

“It’s not a stick!” Oscar snapped. “It’s a practice cane.” To prove his point, he held onto the bottom with both hands and swung the make-shift weapon like a sword.

Oz quickly informed him, “You won’t need your practice weapon, today, son.”

Lowering the weapon with a frown, Oscar complained, “Awwww, why not?”

“Today is going to be about defense and effectively using your aura.”

“Oh, come on! That’s the boring part of training.”

“The _boring_ part?” Oz repeated indignantly.

“Yeah! The fun part is learning how to attack! How to fight and take action!”

“I see…” Oz’s voice trailed off, a thought visibly floating behind his golden-brown eyes.

“Oh no.”

“You’re in trouble now, bro!” Ali teased through a laugh.

Normally, Oscar would refute his sister’s quip, but today she was right. He was in trouble, and he knew it. The worst part was, he had no idea what that trouble would look like.

Oscar swallowed his pride. “Is it too late to change my answer?”

Qrow shook his head, “I think that ship has sailed, buddy.”

The silence in the room became palpable as Oz stood perfectly still, a devious smile lingering on his lips. Ali wore the same smile, waiting to witness whatever Oz was clearly planning. It seemed like she’d have to wait, though, as Oz simply walked to the back door, opened it, and turned his head to say, “Are you ready?”

“Not anymore...” Oscar grumbled under his breath. Before confident and excited, now the boy followed with cautious steps, dragging his practice cane behind him like a toddler with a baby blanket.

Qrow snickered as he watched his son trudge out the door. He turned to his daughter and asked, “Do you want to watch?”

“Yeah!”

“Then let’s go,” Qrow nodded. Ali didn’t even have time to move before Qrow picked her up and hefted her onto his shoulder.

Giggling and kicking, Ali held on for dear life as she insisted, “Hey, put me down! I can walk! Stop it!”

When they stepped onto the back deck, Qrow obliged, grunting as he set her on the ground. The two of them sat down on the first step of the stairs as they watched Oscar and Oz walk to opposite sides of the yard.

For a moment, no one moved. Oz and Oscar mirrored each other, hands resting on top of their canes, feet shoulder-width apart. The afternoon was quiet except for the occasional bird chirping in the distance. A light breeze brushed Ali’s face, keeping her just cool enough that the bright sun didn’t bother her.

Finally, Oz made a show of putting his cane away. Rolling his eyes, Oscar followed suit, although he had to settle for dropping his on the ground since it couldn’t retract. Another minute of silence. The eleven-year-old could only be so patient. “So… are you going to teach me something or-”

Oscar couldn’t finish his question as he was launched across the yard and slammed into the wooden fence which surrounded it. Ali hadn’t even registered that Oz had moved until her brother hit the fence. When her brain finally caught up to her eyes, Ali broke out into a laughing fit. Their dad certainly showed him.

“Weak!” Ali heckled through a giggle.

“Shut up, Ali! No one asked you!” Oscar snapped from his new position on the ground.

Ali couldn’t pass up the opportunity to mock her brother one last time by sticking her tongue out at him and repeating his words in a nonsensical tone. Oscar only glared at her, and finally Qrow interjected, “Alright, that’s enough, pipsqueak.”

Another laugh filled the air, but other than that, she didn’t say another word. She may not be allowed to train with him, but seeing Oscar get his ass kicked did wonders for Ali’s mood.

Oz strolled across the yard and stopped in front of his son, hovering over him as he asked, “Do you know how I was able to neutralize you so quickly?”

Oscar’s eyes were glued to the ground as he grumbled, “Because you cheated…”

“Because you let your guard down,” Oz corrected. “Because you haven’t learned how to use your aura properly.” He knelt down to meet his son’s eyes. “Because you haven’t yet learned the _boring part_ of training.”

“Yeah, got it, lesson learned,” Oscar said with an eye roll.

Oz ignored his son’s attitude, offering him a hand and pulling him to his feet instead. He grabbed Oscar by the shoulders and added, “There are going to be parts of being a huntsman that you won’t enjoy. It’ll feel tedious, exhausting, even overwhelming at times. But every piece of your education is important. It’s the foundation upon which your skills are based. Remove one brick-”

“-And the building collapses, I know,” Oscar finished.

Both siblings were more than familiar with Oz’s “your education is important” speech. They didn’t need the recap.

Pride glistened through Oz’s eyes as he nodded, “Now. Your real training can begin.”

~~~~~~~~~~

At the time, Ruby and Weiss’ move to Atlas felt like it was the end of the world. The end of an era. However, that opened the door for a new era to dawn. An era of friendship rather than family. The nine-year-old was getting increasingly close to her best friend, Abaddon, who now spent much of his time at the Branwen household.

Abby was a coyote Faunus boy who lived down the street. The convenient location of his house made the walk to Ali’s home very short. Now, instead of constantly spending time with her cousins, Ali had a friend she knew she could always count on. It wasn’t better or worse, just different, which took some getting used to, but in time, Ali adjusted.

One summer day, Ali and Abby were joined by Oscar for a gaming session in Ali’s room. The three kids were on their scrolls sitting around the room- Ali and Abby on the bed while Oscar sat at Ali’s desk on the other side of the room. Their racing game was starting to get rather competitive. Well, competitive between the siblings. Abby, on the other hand, was still trying to learn how to drift without crashing.

Ali giggled as she passed Abby for the second time, reminding him again that he needed to hold the drift button for it to work. The nine-year-old rounded the final corner and saw her brother’s avatar come into view. She sat forward in anticipation, hoping that she might finally be able to beat Oscar at this stupid game. “I’m catching up!” she announced. “Watch out, Oscar!”

Maybe the warning was her downfall.

“I don’t think so,” Oscar mumbled to himself.

Suddenly, a banana peel dropped from the back of Oscar’s vehicle, and Ali didn’t have time to adjust her driving. She ran into it, spinning out of control, forcing her to settle for second.

“Nooooooo!”

“Too easy,” Oscar bragged as his car bolted across the finish line. He dropped his device into his lap and triumphantly put his hands behind his head as he teased, “Better luck next time, loser.”

“Shut _up_ , Oscar!” Ali complained as she threw the baseball that sat on her nightstand at her brother. Effortlessly, Oscar lifted his arm and deflected the projectile with his aura. It bounced off as if it hit a wall.

“Ugh!” Ali huffed. “I hate that you can use your aura. It makes it very hard to throw things at you.”

“I know. That’s why I like being the oldest.” Oscar bent down and grabbed the ball off the floor before returning fire.

Ali panicked and used the nearest pillow to shield herself. Blocked just in time. “Hey! No fair! I can’t use my aura to protect me!”

“Wait, why not?” Abby wondered, a little slow to ask.

“Our dads won’t let Ali train until she grows up because she’s the little baby,” Oscar said the last few words with his lower lip quivering.

“I am not! Shut up!” Ali insisted.

A snicker came from Oscar’s direction.

Abby hesitated, “Why doesn’t Oscar just train you for now?”

“What?” Ali snapped.

“Like, when your dads aren’t home,” Abby explained. “He can help you get ahead a little.”

A smile shot onto Ali’s face as her eyes went wide. “Oh my gosh, he could!” She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of that yet.

Oscar crossed his arms and looked away. “No.”

“Why not?”

He returned his gaze to his sister. “Because I don’t want to.”

“Come on, Oscar, please?”

“No.”

“Please.”

“No.”

“ _Please!_ ”

“No!”

“If you help me I’ll do all your chores for a week!”

“Make it a year.”

“A month!”

Arms still crossed, Oscar slowly rolled his eyes as he contemplated the new offer. Finally, he answered, “Fine, a month. But if we get caught I’m fully blaming you.”

“And I’m ok with that!”

Qrow peeked his head into the room, “What are you ok with?”

“Nothing!” Ali panicked. It was not subtle. Ali caught Oscar from across the room mouth the word “Smooth.” The nine-year-old could only stick her tongue out to tell her brother to shut up.

Qrow shook his head. “Ok, whatever, you two. Abby, your parents are here.”

“Aw, ok,” Abby shrugged. The child grabbed his backpack and started walking out of the room. His friend followed close behind, ready to walk him to the door. They made their way downstairs and Ali opened the door for him. As Abby scampered away, he called over his shoulder, “See you tomorrow, Ali!”

“See ya!”

For a moment, Ali could only stand at the front door, watching her friend drive off, the car disappearing down the street as it turned the corner. The thought of having Oscar start training her rung in her head like an unrelenting bell. Seriously, how had she not thought of that yet? Ali knew she was ready to start training, and if her parents didn’t see her potential then she would simply have to prove herself. She just needed a little help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, yes, taking the advice of a nine-year-old boy. This should end well.
> 
> I hope to get the next chapter up around the same time next week! Thank you to all my readers and stay safe out there XD


	3. For What It's Worth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Branwen siblings visit Beacon and they put their training plan into action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right on schedule! Whoa, who knew I could do that? XD I consider this chapter a bit choppy but other than that I think it came out pretty well! I hope you enjoy reading it.

It was almost too easy.

Flash the puppy-dog eyes, give a little pout, add in a line about how excited they were to attend Beacon and- boom- suddenly the Branwen siblings no longer had to go to school that day. After the kids’ little routine, Ozpin collapsed like an avalanche and let them shadow him at work instead of going to their boring, non-huntsman-focused grade school. Ali and Oscar were more than pleased, but not necessarily surprised. They had a secret weapon. Their line about being excited to attend the academy? They meant every word, and their dad knew it. The headmaster could never bring himself to crush their adolescent enthusiasm. Checkmate.

Of course, there was still one downside.

With no proper seating in Oz’s office, Ali had been relegated to sitting on the floor, her back to the large, clock-shaped window on the wall behind her father. From where she sat she could only see the back of her dad’s ridiculous chair (there was no way that thing was comfortable) and about half his desk. It just so happened to be the half Oscar was sitting on. Why was he allowed to misuse the furniture?

Whatever.

Ali was way too excited to be worried about seating arrangements. She had to kill a couple hours reading while sitting on the floor as her dad wrapped up his work for the day, but he had promised that afterwards they would be taking a proper tour of the sights around campus. Ali had been to the school plenty of times before, but never for a full day. Usually it was just to accompany Qrow in picking up Yang and Ruby for a day out or for a short visit after school. Today, however, she would get to see everything.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ali caught movement and noticed Oz spin his chair around so that he could see both of his children. With an inviting smile on his face, the man clasped his hands in front of him and asked, “Are you two ready?”

“Yeah!” Ali didn’t hesitate. She slammed her book shut and jumped to her feet.

“Sure,” Oscar shrugged. There was no magic in this trip for Oscar. He had already gotten the grand tour. For him, this was just an excuse to skip school for a day.

“Then let’s go, shall we?” Oz prompted.

Ali had a spring in her step as she raced to the elevator. Her brother, on the other hand, casually slid off Oz’s desk and leisurely strolled to the elevator. When he saw his sister rapidly hitting the “down” button over and over again, he couldn’t help but sigh, “Ali, pushing it more doesn’t make the elevator go faster.”

As if to prove her point, Ali pressed the button three more times before snapping, “I know and I don’t care.”

“You’re so weird,” her brother scoffed.

“Please behave, you two,” Oz said suddenly as he joined them, “or this’ll be the last time I let you come to work with me.”

“What?” Ali cried. “But this is the _first time_ I’ve come to work with you!”

Oz nodded, “Then it’d be in your best interest to behave, wouldn’t you agree?”

The snicker Oscar let out made Ali’s blood boil. She glared daggers at her brother, only tearing her gaze away when she heard the ding of the elevator. As Ali pressed the button for the ground floor of the tower, she wondered, “Where are we headed to first, Dad?”

“I was going to leave that up to you,” Oz admitted.

Oscar thought for a moment. “Can we go visit Aunt Glynda?”

“Oh, yeah! We haven’t seen her in a while!” Ali agreed.

“I don’t see why not,” Oz said.

Now Oscar had something to look forward to as well. The siblings both had a lot of energy as the trio stepped out of the elevator and into the first floor of Beacon Tower.

As they walked, Ali asked questions about anything and everything she saw. Oz answered every single one with delight in his voice and a sparkle in his eye. Every now and then, their conversation was interrupted by eager students who were just courageous enough to approach the headmaster and ask him about the kids. Oscar and Ali would resort to going mute and clinging to their father’s legs during these interactions. The only time they would break their bouts of silence was when Oz would start to brag about them or share too much information for their tastes and a drowsy “Dad, stooooop!” would spill from their mouths. Joke’s on them. That was the reaction Oz was hoping for. Everytime.

After a fifteen minute trek across the school, they finally reached their destination. A large, circular building with floor to ceiling windows loomed over them. They walked inside and made their way to a classroom that looked more like a theater than a training facility. Bleachers were situated above a half-circle arena floor where two students were currently sparring. A gigantic hard-light screen hung above the arena where the students’ aura levels were prominently displayed. 

As the three stood back, waiting right next to the door so as not to interrupt, they watched the fight in progress. Ali could barely register the students’ movements and attacks. Both fighters were swinging their weapons and dodging with such speed that every action became a blur. The ten-year-old couldn’t even figure out what type of semblances were in play. Weapons clashed, energy sparked, and suddenly, one of the students flew across the arena floor. On the screen, their aura level blinked red, and a loud buzzer shot through the classroom to indicate that the match had ended.

Suddenly, a familiar voice announced, “Good job, Ms. Russell.” It was Glynda. A huge smile spread across Ali’s face when she recognized the woman stepping into the arena. Glynda continued, “You used your semblance much more strategically this time and the result was a well earned victory.”

The student- Russell, apparently- offered a stern nod, acknowledging the headmistresses feedback. Her opponent simply lowered their head as they got to their feet. Clearly their performance wasn’t as noteworthy.

“Alright, class, remember-” something caught the professor’s eye, and she stopped mid-sentence. The Branwen siblings waved frantically as they realized that their presence had been noted. The teacher recovered, “Remember that Vytal Festival qualifiers are fast approaching. I expect you all to perform your very best. Class dismissed.”

The children didn’t wait for permission. As soon as the students started pouring out of the classroom, Ali and Oscar bolted down the stairs to the arena floor. On their approach, they gleefully shouted, “Aunt Glynda!”

The headmistress offered a smirk and a nod as she sang, “Well, if it isn’t my favorite niece and nephew.”

Ali raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t we your only niece and nephew?”

“I never said it was an impressive title.”

The kids giggled. Glynda’s gaze shifted to over their heads as she addressed their father who followed them at his own leisurely pace. “And what brings you here, Professor?” she asked. “Did you need something?”

“No,” Oz said softly. “This is strictly a personal visit.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah! We just wanted to say ‘hi’!” Oscar explained.

“Hi!!!” Ali added with an animated wave and a small laugh.

A rare giggle escaped Glynda’s lips at the kids’antics. But it was short lived. As she noticed her next class flooding the bleachers, she sighed, “Unfortunately, ‘hi’ is all I have time for.”

Ali followed the professor’s gaze, figuring out what Glynda was referring to. She politely requested, “Can we stay for your class?”

“Yeah, can we?” Oscar reiterated.

With a devious grin on her face, Glynda answered honestly, “That would be up to your father.”

The kids turned, staring expectantly at their father. He conceded with a shrug, “I suppose it can’t hurt.”

Ali threw her hands in the air and let out a cheer of excitement. Before anyone could say another word, the ten-year-old bolted for the stairs. Oscar did the same, catching up to his sister with ease and beating her to the first row of seats where they both planted themselves. Trailing behind again, Oz took a seat next to his daughter a minute later.

After all the students settled in, Glynda did not waste her opportunity to announce that they had a few special guests joining them for this class- including the headmaster himself. The kids giggled and Ali hugged Oz’s arm as Glynda added in a line about his presence being an incentive for the students to participate. A laugh murmured through the audience and Oz could only shake his head.

Served him right. If he was going to embarrass the kids by showing them off around campus it was only fair that they got to embarrass him a little, too.

The rest of the class period ran normally. Glynda started with a fifteen minute recap of basic tournament style rules before rolling right into a real practice match. When she asked the class if anyone would like to volunteer, a small hand shot in the air.

“Me! I wanna try!” Oscar cheered as he popped out of his seat.

“Oscar, put your hand down,” Oz commanded, his voice calm but stern.

“Or what?” Oscar shrugged with a devilish smile. He knew what he was doing, and Oz was not having any of it. The headmaster simply shot a disapproving glare to his son. Not a word needed to be said. Smile still plastered on his face, Oscar slowly lowered his hand and resumed his seat. A dismissive shake of his head told Ali that her brother wanted Oz to think that he only conceded because he wanted to. That wasn’t true, but the twelve-year-old could continue to believe it if he chose.

Some of the students around them were visibly laughing as Glynda called on two attendees on the other side of the room. The two opponents took their places across from each other, weapons in hand. As the match started, the siblings both stood up and leaned against the railing in front of them. Ali was so mesmerized by the action that she only vaguely registered the fact that Oscar was recording the fight on his scroll. He held the device out, horizontal, over the railing as the fight raged on. The ten-year-old’s attention was only truly ripped away when a rather intense hit caused Oscar to wince and drop his scroll. It fell over the railing and hit the arena floor with a clatter. “Darn it,” Oscar sighed. Before Ali could figure out what he was doing, the boy vaulted over the railing and landed next to his still in-tact device.

“No!” Ali shouted after him, reaching her hand out in a fruitless effort to stop him.

Suddenly, her father was standing next to her, leaning over the edge, his eyes wide with shock. Clearly Oz had not realized what was going on in time, either.

“Oscar, what do you think you’re doing?!” he shouted.

“I’m just getting my-”

“Oscar, look out!” Ali warned. 

Oscar winced, bracing himself at his sister’s call as he registered the stray blast of energy that was headed straight for him. All Ali did was blink, but when she looked down again her brother was gone, and the sparking ball of fire dissipated against the wall.

_What?_

Ali looked to her left to see that her brother was already standing there, face still scrunched up, hands still raised as if ready to be hit.

“No way…” Ali whispered in disbelief.

Still in shock, the child lowered his hands and held them out in front of him. For a moment, all he could do was stare, his thoughts clearly swimming behind his hazel eyes: I’m still alive?

“Oscar!” Oz proclaimed. His tone was more concerned than angry. He rushed over and grabbed Oscar by the shoulders. “Are you alright? Does anything hurt?”

Oscar stuttered, “Yeah, I- I’m fine...”

“Don’t ever do something that stupid again, understood?” Oz reprimanded, his tone gaining a slight edge.

“I- uh- I won’t.”

Oscar’s eyes were still wide, almost foggy. The twelve-year-old was not prepared to face and then narrowly avoid death in the same second long time frame. It was obvious. Satisfied that the fear he felt was punishment enough, Oz’s tone returned to concern. He wrapped Oscar in a hug and held him for a moment. As Ali watched the whole scene unfold, she felt like she was an outsider looking in. There was only one thought on Ali’s mind as she watched her father fret over her sibling: Oscar just unlocked his semblance.

_And he hasn’t even started at Signal yet…_

Talk about a tough act to follow.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Seriously, Ali?” Oscar whined. “We’ve been out here for almost an hour and our dads are gonna be home any minute!”

“One more time, please! I know I can do it!” Ali pleaded.

Their impromptu training session was starting to get on Oscar’s nerves, but Ali wasn’t ready to throw in the towel yet. The siblings had been practicing in the backyard ever since Oz and Qrow left to run some errands. After the incident at the school, Ali requested that they up their training to two sessions a week, and she wasn’t showing any signs of taking her foot off the gas pedal.

With an exasperated sigh of defeat, Oscar agreed, “Fine, one more time and then I’m going inside.”

Ali nodded in agreement before getting set. She lowered herself, ready to counter the attack she knew Oscar was about to deliver.

Most of these training sessions consisted of Oscar explaining Oz’s lessons as best he could. A lot of details got omitted, but it was helping Ali lay a good foundation for her fighting techniques. It gave her some pieces of information to work with before she would start training with her father. Already she had been taking these clandestine lessons with Oscar for almost a year. She would be more than ready for whatever Oz threw at her.

Today, Oscar was repeating Oz’s lesson on disarming your opponent while you are weaponless. Practice cane at his side, Oscar bent his knees and leaned forward, ready to charge at his sister on command. Ali, on the other hand, was going weaponless, focusing only on avoiding the attack and grabbing Oscar’s weapon in the process. Seemed straightforward enough. No doubt the lesson from Oz had been an interesting one.

“You ready?” Oscar prompted.

Another silent nod “yes” was Ali’s only response. She held her defensive stance.

“Ready. Set. Go!”

On cue, Oscar launched himself in Ali’s direction as he took a huge, sweeping swing with his practice weapon. Ali ducked just in time to dodge the first attack, but she wasn’t so lucky the second time around. Oscar reared back and took a quick follow-up swing that Ali managed to block with her bare forearm. A screech of pain ripped through the air as wood shattered and splinters flew across the lawn. The ten-year-old had yet to unlock her aura, so she took the full force of her brother’s swing. She dropped to her knees as she wailed. Her skin peeled and bled profusely at the spot where she was hit. Already, she could feel a bruise and a welt starting to form. Tears pooled in her eyes as Oscar dropped the half of his cane that was still intact and joined her on the ground.

“Ali!” he cried, concern drenching his call.

Ali’s vision blurred from the tears and she gently cradled her arm. The blood was starting to drip into the grass. Oscar could only apologize over and over again. What else could he do? He didn’t know how to treat major injuries!

Suddenly, a voice called from inside, “I think they’re out here, Oz.”

“Oh no, they’re home!” Ali realized, recognizing Qrow’s voice. “What are we gonna do?”

Oscar panicked, his eyes darted from side to side as he stuttered, "I- I don't know, maybe we could-"

"Hey, guys, we're-” Qrow cut himself off as he caught a glimpse of his daughter. “Oh my gods."

The huntsman approached with urgency, staring down at his kids with worry in his eyes.

In his panicked state, Oscar blurted out, "It was an accident! We were just training, I didn’t mean to!”

“You were what??” Qrow’s concern morphed to anger in a flash.

“Qrow?” Oz asked, blissfully unaware of what was happening. He joined everyone outside. “Is everything all right?”

No one needed to answer.

“Oh, dear,” he said as soon as he emerged into the backyard. He rushed to his daughter’s side and knelt down next to her, not hesitating to inspect the injury and assess the damage. “What happened?”

Oz was addressing his children, but his husband offered the answer, “Your kids were training while we were gone.”

“What?”

“Oscar was just trying to help,” Ali added quickly, “I know he didn’t mean to!”

“Oscar?” the name was uttered, quiet and reserved, like Oz was trying to fit the pieces of a puzzle together. When he turned around and saw his son’s eyes pointed down, unable to meet his own he finally had the full picture. Calmly, without raising his volume a decibel, Oz commanded, “Go to your room, son.”

“But, Dad, I-”

“I said go to your room,” Oz reiterated, his tone barely fluctuating. “I’ll be up to talk to you in a minute.”

Oscar hesitated, looking to his other parent for confirmation.

A stern “Go!” from Qrow was all he needed to hear. Oscar stood up, head still lowered, and trudged into the house, Qrow at his back.

As Ali watched her brother disappear through the backdoor, she reluctantly admitted, “Dad, it’s not Oscar’s fault, you can’t just punish him…”

Oz scoffed, “Trust me, he’s not facing the consequences of this alone.”

Ali dropped her head, another tear falling from her eye. She was so wrapped up in getting caught the pain had subsided for a minute. Now it was back, only this pain wasn’t in her arm. It was a tightening in her chest. She closed her eyes hard, determined not to let any more tears leak out.

Oz sighed, “But your punishment can wait. Let’s get you cleaned up first.”

With a little help, Ali got her feet, but she didn’t dare raise her head. Oz led her inside and instructed her to sit down at the kitchen table. She did so in silence, and a few seconds later, her father came back with a wet washcloth and some bandages. The screeching sound of a chair being pulled across hardwood followed as Oz pulled up a seat of his own.

As he took a closer look at the wound, Oz observed, “There appears to be a splinter or two. I’m going to pull them out, alright?”

“Alright,” Ali said weakly.

“Hold still.”

There were three splinters, to be exact, and Ali let out a whimper every time one was plucked out of her skin.

While he grabbed the washcloth from the table, Oz smiled, “You have to be more careful, Angel. This is the fifth time we’ve had to perform a medical procedure after you and Oscar have been playing outside.” His tone was playful and teasing, but Ali couldn’t reciprocate. She only redirected her gaze to the floor.

Oz continued, “What were you and Oscar doing today?”

The muscles in Ali’s face started to hurt as she held back more tears. Her voice was small as she answered, “Oscar was... helping me.”

“Helping you with what?” Oz wondered as he tilted his head.

He knew the answer. Ali knew that. Both Oscar and Ali had let the whole story slip with two simple sentences. Oz just wanted Ali to admit it.

As Oz started cleaning her wound, dabbing it with the wet towel, he let the silence last for a moment before he gently prompted, “Aaliyah.”

“He was helping me train…” the ten-year-old finally answered, the tears just barely not breaking through. “Trying to teach me your last lesson.”

“Our last lesson on disarming someone?”

A silent nod to confirm.

After he cleaned the wound as best he could, Oz pressed the washcloth to the injury in an attempt to get the continued bleeding to stop. “You went up against your brother without a weapon,” he guessed.

Finally, Ali lifted her head, her eyes glassy and shimmering with regret. What was she supposed to say?

“Now why would you do that?” Oz asked softly.

“You weren’t gonna teach me!” Ali screeched, her words coated in accusation.

“I absolutely was,” Oz promised, as calm as the ocean on a sunny day. “And I still will. But not until-”

“‘I’m ready, blah, blah, blah,’ I know,” Ali cried.

“Sweetheart, please.”

The “drop the attitude” part was implied, and Ali obliged. Her head dropped again.

Oz lifted the rag and threw it on the table. He reached over and grabbed the bandages instead. As he started wrapping the gash, he sighed, “You’re so determined to start training early. You’re ambitious and dedicated and smart. I know you’ll make an excellent huntress one day, no matter when you start training.” His sentence ended as he tucked the final layer of bandages into the first to secure it. He looked his daughter in the eyes as he added, “ For now, just enjoy your childhood, please. Can you do that? For me?”

Looking at her bandaged arm, Ali felt another godforsaken tear roll down her cheek. Finally, she croaked, “I think so.”

“Thank you,” Oz said, relief fluttering in his voice.

Oz placed a kiss on Ali’s forehead and wrapped his arms around her. For a second, she just rested in her father’s embrace. It was amazing how, even after something so reckless and stupid, her dad still managed to make her feel cared for. Loved, even.

“Alright,” he said, releasing her. “This is the part where I send you to your room.”

“I knew that was coming.”

“Go. I’ll come get you when your punishment is lifted.”

Ali slid off the chair and headed upstairs to her room, her injured arm cradled in her healthy one even though the aching had subsided significantly. 

The whole ordeal caused so much pain. The physical injury of the failed training session, the struggle to get Oscar to help her in the first place, the look on Oz and Qrow’s face when they saw what had happened. All because Ali wanted to learn how to be a huntress. It made her start to wonder: Was it even worth it?


	4. A Matter of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally time for Ali to start training with Oz. Of course, now that it's official, she's not sure she's prepared.

Finally, the day came. Truth be told, Ali thought she’d be more excited. Instead all she felt was dread.

Ali was standing in the backyard, facing her father who was standing ten feet in front of her. It was just her and Oz. Qrow and Oscar were out for the day. Ali didn’t really know what they were doing but she didn’t care. She made Oz promise that they wouldn’t make a big deal of her first day of training. He was the one who suggested sending the other two out of the house for the day. An idea Ali was more than grateful for.

A part of her wanted to abandon training entirely. What was the point? She already lied, manipulated, and got herself hurt, all in the name of becoming a huntress. Doubt was growing in the back of her mind with every passing day.

But after everything she had done could she really quit before she even started? Making such a big deal about it two years ago, then there was the whole “training with Oscar in secret” fiasco. Was she really about to go through all that trouble just to throw in the towel? The answer was a hesitant “I guess not.”

And yet, as she stood in front of her father, ready to start her first session, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

“Ali. Are you sure you’re okay?” Oz asked, as if he could detect her anxieties. “We don’t have to start today, you know.”

“I’m fine, Dad!” Ali lied.

“So you’ve said, but it doesn’t seem-”

“ _I said I’m fine._ ”

“If you insist.”

A heavy sigh fell from Oz’s lips as he retracted his cane and clipped it to his belt. For a moment, he simply stood, hands behind his back, as if he was waiting for his daughter to react. All she could do was suck in a deep, shaky breath. The muscles in her face tightened as she forced back tears

_I won’t cry. I won’t leave. I have to do this._

“We’ll start slow, alright?” Oz finally began.

Hesitantly, Ali nodded in agreement.

“Now, I’m going to charge at you. I won’t attack, I promise. I just want you to get used to timing a dodge. Defense is one of the most important aspects of battle. Do you know why that is?”

“No…”

“Because you can’t attack if you’re dead.”

The new trainee allowed a small laugh to escape her lungs. Her father was visibly relieved to see the positive reaction.

“Ok,” he said. “Get ready.”

Ali slightly bent her knees and stayed on the balls of her feet, ready to move at a second’s notice. As she waited for her dad to continue, time slowed to a stand still. Her heart was trying to beat out of her chest, blood ran through her ears causing them to ring. Suddenly, she was reminded of her brother, standing in front of her, an eerie mirror of how her father stood before her now.

_“You ready?” Oscar prompted._

_“Ready. Set. Go!”_

_CRACK!_

Ali could feel her arm start to throb as the memory bubbled to the surface.

Oz let his hands fall to his sides as he put one foot in front of the other and leaned forward, ready to charge, but something about his movements seemed stiff, hesitant. “Set…”

Suddenly, the pain and the disappointment that came with Ali’s old injury boiled in her chest. It wasn’t worth it. All the pain.

It wasn’t worth it.

“Wait, no, I-”

Fixing his posture, Oz stood up straight, indicating that he wasn’t going to follow through. It was obvious he was waiting for her to stop him.

“I can’t do it, Dad, I just can’t,” the child finally admitted through a sob. “You were right, I’m not ready,” she choked. “I’m not ready, I can’t do this.”

With all of her energy sucked from her body, Ali’s knees gave out and she collapsed. The ground became a blur of greens and browns as tears pooled in her eyes and fell into the grass. Her hiccups and cries covered the sound of crunching grass as her father crossed the yard to kneel down next to her. Ali hadn’t even noticed he moved until she felt his arms wrap her in a hug and pull her close. Face buried in Oz’s shirt, Ali couldn’t even speak as Oz tried to reassure her.

“It’s okay. We can start some other day. It’s okay,” he whispered 

Her eyes squeezed shut even harder causing a headache to flare and the heaving to become a little heavier. She clenched a handful of Oz’s shirt and held onto it as the tears kept flowing.

As she continued to cry, there was only one thought beating in her head.

_What’s wrong with me?_

~~~~~~~~~~

It was only a matter of time.

Sure, Oz had promised that they didn’t have to tell Qrow and Oscar exactly how the session went when they asked, but that only meant there’d be a delay. At first, they would simply say that the day “could have gone better” and move on. But Ali knew better. Just like after their late night talks, Oz would tell Qrow the truth as soon as he could because Oz told Qrow everything. Qrow would find out that his little girl was a failure by tomorrow morning.

Or sooner.

As Ali walked to the bathroom to brush her teeth she heard chatter rise from downstairs. All of the words blended together as she walked passed the stairs so she ignored the conversation on the way there. However, after she finished brushing her teeth, the second time down the hallway, a few key words floated up from the kitchen. She could have sworn she heard Oz say her name. She froze, waiting at the top of the steps to check her theory.

“You should have seen her, Qrow. I knew she was anxious the second we stepped outside.”

They were _absolutely_ talking about her.

“She was stubborn, though,” Oz continued. “Refused to admit it until the last second.”

“I don’t know, Oz,” Qrow sighed. “Maybe we pushed her too hard. Maybe she’s just not cut out to be a huntress.”

That was it. The dagger into Ali’s heart. 

The child stifled a cry, using all of her strength to stay perfectly silent just long enough to get into her room before she gently closed the door behind her. She immediately flopped onto her bed, shoving her head into a pillow so her family wouldn’t pick up the sound of her cries. 

Ali wanted to be a huntress more than anything. Now her own parents don’t even think she can do it. Maybe she can’t.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Qrow, please, I don’t think that’s the take away from all of this,” Oz insisted, watching his husband pace back and forth.

“I don’t mean she _can’t_ be, I mean maybe she doesn’t wanna be! Maybe she feels like she has to, you know?”

“Why on Remnant would she have to?”

“You’re kidding, right? You don’t think Mr. Headmaster of a Huntsman Academy being her father would give her any ideas?”

Oz hadn’t considered that angle. His head lowered and he stared at the floor. No comeback for that one.

Qrow continued, “All I’m saying is, we should make sure that this is really what she wants. I’d be just as happy if she went into- I don’t know- soap making or some shit.”

“Or if she started that band she’s always talking about,” Oz laughed, a hint of a smile returning to his features.

“Yeah, sure,” Qrow grinned. “Or that.” Finally, the avian man settled down, at least enough to stop pacing and join Oz in leaning against the kitchen counter instead. A sigh fell from Qrow’s mouth as he rested his head on Oz’s shoulder. Suddenly, Ali’s dodgy behavior all day made sense. She was avoiding him.

He picked his head up and sighed, “I’ve barely talked to her all day… I’m gonna go say goodnight.”

“Alright.”

Qrow placed a quick kiss on Oz’s cheek before rushing upstairs. As he approached Ali’s bedroom door, the sound of crying seeped through the cracks. He lifted his hand to knock but he decided to forego the warning in a panic. When he opened the door, he saw his daughter lying on her side, facing the wall, heaving with great force. She was absolutely bawling.

“Ali,” Qrow said softly. Immediately, he sat on the side of her bed and placed a hand on her shoulder, gently trying to get her to turn over and look at him. The answer was a jerk in the opposite direction. She didn’t want to look at him.

“Angel, hey, what’s wrong?”

The cries made it impossible for the child to answer. Every heave Ali let out yanked at Qrow’s heart. After a moment, he tried again. “Ali, please, talk to me.”

“A-about what? About how you- you don’t think I can be a- a huntress!”

“Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute. What are you talking about?”

Ali twisted around briefly to snap, “I heard you talking to Dad downstairs! You- you told him I wasn’t ‘cut out’ for it…” As the crying returned, quieter, softer, she turned to face the wall again.

Qrow’s face fell. “Kiddo, I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

“You didn’t what?” Ali cut in. “Think I was listening? I don’t care!”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Sure it’s not.”

“Angel, hey, look at me. Please?”

A huff of frustration came from Ali’s direction before she obliged, rolling over but not sitting up.

Qrow took a deep breath, trying to find the words. “What I meant was, I wasn’t sure if you _wanted_ to be a huntress-”

Ali sniffled, “W- Why wouldn’t I…?” Now he had her attention. The child sat up and leaned against the wall, confused by her father’s statement.

“I don’t know,” Qrow admitted. “I guess I was starting to wonder if we made you feel like you had to do this. Because of us. Because of who we are.” He shrugged, amending, “Well, because of who your dad is.”

Nodding, Ali wiped her nose with her sleeve as she teased, “Yeah, you’re not as cool as he is.”

A little laugh filled the air. At least she was making jokes. “Can’t argue with that,” Qrow agreed. He used his thumb to brush Ali’s tears away as he continued, “We just want to make sure this is what you want. We want you to know that the choice is yours.”

Ali averted her gaze, staring blankly at the covers on her bed. Qrow tilted his head, trying to catch her eye, “Hey. The choice _is_ yours. You know that, right?”

Another sniffle rose before silence fell. Finally, the girl lifted her head and mustered the energy to whisper, “I want to be a huntress more than anything.” Her voice was broken and weak, but the determination was louder than ever.

A huge smile grew on Qrow’s face at the words. “That’s all I needed to hear,” he promised. “The rest is just details. We can figure it out, okay?”

“Okay…”

Qrow opened his arms. Relief flooded his mind when Ali jumped into his hug. “We’ll figure it out, kiddo,” he said as he held her. “Don’t worry about today. It’ll be alright. You’ll start training before you know it.”

Ali let out a small hiccup and Qrow knew she was crying again. He cursed himself for what he said earlier. Even without knowing she was listening, he should have phrased it differently. Of course she was “cut out for it.” She was eleven for gods’ sake, she had plenty of time to learn and grow and do whatever the fuck she wanted. If she wanted to be a huntress then she was going to be a damn good one. Qrow would make sure of it. After all, it was the one thing he was qualified to teach her. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t thrilled that she wanted to go into this profession. 

She just needed time. And Qrow was willing to wait.

Finally, Ali’s breathing steadied and Qrow let go. She sat on the bed and wiped her eyes.

“Are you ok?” he asked.

“I think so…” she answered calmly.

“Alright, then get some sleep, Angel,” Qrow suggested. “You’ve had a long day.”

The eleven-year-old nodded as she grabbed her blanket. Qrow stood up and waited for the child to lay down and bundle up. When she was comfortable he bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”

“Goodnight…”

On cat’s feet, Qrow stepped out of the bedroom and gently closed the door. His head started spinning as he walked down the hall to his own room. Again, guilt set in at the thought of what he had said. Although, it was offset by the memory of their conversation after the fact. He was able to explain himself and Ali seemed content with his answer.   
Ali knows her dad is proud of her. She knows he doesn’t blame her for being nervous. She knows she can trust him. Right?

~~~~~~~~~~

Ali could feel the knot in her stomach start to form as she jumped out of the car. Why did she have to tell everyone that she was going to start training last month? They’ll definitely ask her about it. Was she supposed to admit that she was too weak to get through her first session? She hadn’t even attempted to try lesson number two yet. Her fathers kept insisting that it was okay, that she could start at her own pace and that most kids don’t have any experience going into Signal and they do just fine. Their words were a nice attempt at being reassuring, but it could never hit quite as hard as the way Qrow’s face fell everytime she said “No, not today.”

As the family of four approached the Xiao Long-Rose house, they knew the outside was deceptively quiet. Not a soul in sight. But as soon as they opened the door and stepped inside, there was a spark of life.

Yang, Pyrrha, and Nora were all sitting on the floor, their conversation seamlessly maneuvering through the blubbering cries that filled the living room. Blake and Ren were sitting on the couch, so engulfed in their own discussion that they didn’t even acknowledge the chaos around them. Meanwhile, there were five one-year-olds wreaking their own form of havoc. 

Surprisingly, Yang’s children were the only ones staying calm. Ebony was sitting off in her own corner, her golden-amber eyes locked onto the toy train she kept pushing back and forth. Her twin brother, Blaine, was half asleep in Yang’s lap, completely uninterested in what his cousins were up to.

And then there was Passio, Phoenix, and Lokie. The three of them were on their hands and knees, crawling in a circle, shouting incoherent instructions at each other. It might have been some kind of game? It was honestly hard to tell. Every now and then, Passio would shout something that might have been the word “go!” and one of them would pick up the nearest toy and throw it across the room. Strange that the parents weren’t trying to intervene in any way. Perhaps the children would have to actually cause harm for that to occur.

Immediately, Ali made her way over to the floor and sat next to Yang. The blonde looked up, noticing the new arrivals and teased, “Well, look who’s here!” She gave Ali a one-armed hug as she sat down.

“It’s nice to see you all again!” Pyrrha added.

The boys all offered weak “hello”s as Oscar sauntered over to the couch, quickly joining Blake and Ren in their game of “catch-up.” Out of the corner of her eye, Ali caught her parents trying to get her attention as they disappeared into the kitchen to say hi to everyone else. Even after all this time, they still felt the need to let her know whenever they were leaving her sight. It was like a habit they just never bothered to break. Maybe Ali didn’t want them to.

“So, how have you guys been?” Yang asked. “How’s school?”

Ali turned her attention back to her cousin. “You know, it’s… school. Nothing worth talking about.”

“Yeah, I hear ya. Have you at least been making friends?”

“Just the one, really.”

“Well, that’s something! You guys can grow really close!”

Bright blue eyes stayed glued to the ground as Ali thought of how to answer. At least Yang hadn’t asked her about training yet.

“I guess,” the eleven-year-old shrugged. “Our school is really small and I don’t really like any of the other kids in our class.”

“Well, that’s okay,” Yang assured. “Maybe you’ll find more people once you move on to Signal! I know I didn’t really find friends until then.”

Nora added, “If you’re like me you might not even find a big group until Beacon. There’s nothing wrong with having one or two friends.”

“Agreed!” Pyrrha jumped in. “I know plenty of my students really only become friends with their teammates and they seem to do really well!”

Ali nodded shyly as she considered their advice. Took her a second to remember that Pyrrha also had students now, too. She was Beacon’s newest combat teacher. Oz had hired the prodigy almost as soon as she graduated from the academy. Of course he did. In the huntsman world, Pyrrha was a veritable celebrity- with the skill to back up her well-earned status. Beacon had a reputation to uphold. There was no way Oz was going to let one of his most brilliant students slip away that easily.

As the conversation shifted focus away from Ali, she found herself staring blankly at the floor. For a moment, all she did was listen. The chattering from her cousins was comforting. The house was so full and alive. You couldn’t find peace and quiet anywhere. When it was just for these day-long visits to see everyone, Ali didn’t mind the noise. Sure, if it was constant it would drive her insane. But here, it just meant everyone was home, her favorite people were together, under one roof, talking so much she could swear their voices carried all the way to Mistral. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

Suddenly, she saw a small figure crawling towards her out of the corner of her eye. Ali looked up to see little Ebony in her yellow and black striped shirt, black skirt, bumblebee-themed shoes, and bright yellow flower hair clip. She sat herself down and simply stared at the older girl for a moment.

“Hello, Ebony,” Ali smiled.

The baby reciprocated the smile before reaching over and grabbing a figurine of a swordsman warrior- probably one of the toys that had been victim to the trios game of chaos. The baby simply held the toy out and shook it.

“What? What’s that?” Ali asked, unsure of what the child wanted.

“Aw, she wants you to play with her!” Yang explained.

“Oh. Ok.”

A babbling “yes” type of sound fell out of the baby’s mouth. Ali laughed and took the swordsman, using the figure to fight an invisible monster as Ebony watched and giggled. A few dramatic attacks later, another little one tried to join the scene. A baby with bright red hair and purple eyes now sat at Ali’s side. She wore a white shirt and pink shorts. Ali laughed, “Do you want to play, too, Passio?”

A devious grin spread across the child’s face. Passio crawled over and started climbing on Ali’s lap. At first, Ali thought the baby was going for the toy, but then she reached up and started yanking on the locket around Ali’s neck.

“Oh no,” Yang gasped. “Passio!”

Passio started to pull on the chain and Ali panicked.

“Hey!” she shouted. “Let go of that! Stop- Passio!”

Fully aware of the raucous she was causing, Passio laughed at her own antics. Her aunt’s demands for her to stop had absolutely zero effect on her behavior. Luckily, the one person Passio actually listened to had just stepped into the room.

“Passio Schnee-Rose!” a voice demanded, the tone clearly disciplinary in nature.

As soon as the child heard the call, she let go, now sitting next to Ali, trying to look as innocent as possible. Her mother was not going to fall for it. “What do you think you’re doing?” Weiss questioned, hands on her hips.

A giggle escaped the child’s lips. The little brat knew exactly what she was doing.

“Weiss!!!!” Ali exclaimed, jumping up from her seat. She skipped over and gave her cousin a big hug.

“Oh, hi Aaliyah!” Weiss responded. “It’s so nice to see you, it’s been so long!”

As Ali released the hug she took a step back and accused, “Yeah, and who’s fault is that???”

“I know, I know,” the CEO shrugged, “we don’t visit nearly as often as we should.”

“Hey, Weiss!” a voice suddenly said from behind. 

Ali nearly jumped out of her skin as she chastised, “Dear gods! I hate it when you do that.”

Oscar smirked, “I am more than aware of that.”

“Still having fun with your semblance, I see,” Weiss teased.

“Yeah, maybe a little too much fun,” Ali grumbled. “It’s only gotten worse since he started school!”

“Oh my gods, that’s right! You started at Signal this year! How has that been going?”

“Well, it’s only the first month of classes,” Oscar sighed. “So far nothing I don’t already know.”

Ali went quiet, removing herself from the conversation for a second. _Please don’t turn around and ask me how my training is going._

“I have a feeling that’s going to be a common problem for you two,” Weiss said.

“Ali! Oscar!” a familiar voice called. “You’re here!”

Following the voice, Ali saw Ruby coming out of the kitchen. The huntress ran over and trapped her cousins in a group hug as she sang, “Ahhhhhhh, I’ve missed you both so much!!!!!”

“We’ve missed you guys, too,” Oscar said, rolling his eyes at Ruby’s enthusiasm.

Ruby let go and opened her mouth to speak, but a small whine from the floor stole everyone’s attention. They all looked down to see baby Passio sitting at Weiss’ feet, her arms raised in demand: _Pick me up, mom!_

“Gosh, you are so spoiled, young lady,” Weiss huffed, affection fluttering in her voice.

She was spoiled, alright. Weiss bent down and picked her up. As she rested the one-year-old on her hip, she gestured toward Ali and Oscar. “Do you want to say a proper hello to your cousins?”

Passio’s eyes narrowed and she kept a small smile on her face as she simply stared at her cousins. What was she doing? Scanning them?

“Hi, there, Passio,” Oscar tried, adding a little wave.

The child didn’t respond. Instead, she buried her face in her mother’s shoulder.

“Oh really?” Weiss complained. “Now all the sudden you’re gonna be shy? You little brat.” The former huntress kissed her daughter on the forehead, earning a loud, muffled giggle from the baby.

“Is this because you want me to play with you?” Weiss guessed.

Passio picked her head up and nodded frantically to confirm.

“Of course it is,” Weiss sighed, the smile on her face betraying her tired voice. She turned to the siblings, “Do you guys want to come?”

“Yeah!” Ali answered.

“Uhhh… sure, why not,” Oscar shrugged.

The group of four migrated to the floor to join Pyrrha, Nora, Yang, and all the other kids. Eventually, Jaune emerged from the kitchen with his oldest child, Amber, in his arms. He sat down, too, and suddenly there was no hope for a break in conversation. They spent hours just sitting there, talking, playing with the kids. RWBYJNPR talked a lot about their Beacon days and Ali listened as they updated each other on their lives. 

Yang and Blake both started small businesses in the center of Vale- Yang has her martial arts studio, Blake has her bookstore. 

While Pyrrha was teaching at Beacon, Jaune had his hands full taking care of the kids. He goes on the occasional huntsman mission, but most of the time he’s a stay-at-home dad. 

Ren and Nora moved to a small village on Anema, just outside of Mistral. Most of their work is in protecting the village from Grimm since it’s very hard for them to get more professional huntsmen out to protect the place. 

Ruby and Weiss gave an update on the state of the SDC which, honestly, Ali didn’t fully understand. But she understood the important part: after Weiss gets a new headquarters built in the city of Vale, Ruby and Weiss will officially relocate back to the kingdom. It was expected to take at least a few more years, but Ali was excited by the idea all the same.

The only thing that could interrupt a conversation between the eight adults was the promise of food. Nora and Ruby were seated at the table before Tai even finished pronouncing the word “dinner.” As the family gathered around and talked through the meal, Ali couldn’t believe it. She really had managed to go the whole day without having to talk about the botched training session.

Or so she thought.

But her luck ran out when Oscar’s first month at Signal came up the second time, and the mention of classes jogged Ruby’s memory.

“Oh my gods,” Ruby exclaimed suddenly. “Ali, didn’t you tell me you and Uncle Oz were going to start training last month? How did that go?”

“It… it went, uh…”

Wow. Ali really thought she was out of the woods, but now she was in the thick of it. Eleven sets of eyes sat waiting for her response. Her mind froze, unable to conjure up an adequate answer. She couldn’t bring herself to admit the truth. Suddenly, someone else answered for her.

“It didn’t.”

Ali turned to the sound of her father’s voice. She stared at Oz in disbelief. What did he mean, “it didn’t”?

The headmaster continued, “We weren’t able to start what with my being so busy and all.”

Yang teased, “Were you too busy or were _you_ the one who wasn’t ready?”

“Perhaps that had something to do with it.”

Oz threw his daughter a little wink as if to say “It’s okay, I’ve got this.” A weak smile was the child’s way of saying “Thank you.”

“Awww, come on, Uncle Oz!” Ruby objected. “You gotta let her train eventually!”

“I will,” Oz promised. “When we’re _both_ ready.”

Another look from Oz revealed the real meaning behind his words: they’ll start when she’s ready. But that meaning was hidden, meant only for her. No one else needed to know.

“Well, no matter when you start I’m sure you’ll do great!” Yang encouraged.

“Yeah,” Ruby said, “and you’ll be way ahead of me when I was your age!”

“You’re already leagues ahead of me,” Jaune laughed. “I didn’t even know what aura was by the time I entered Beacon.”

“You what?” Ali asked in shock. “How is that even possible?”

Oscar wondered, “You went to a lower level academy, didn’t you?”

“Uhhhhhhh…”

“Well,” Oz interjected, “Jaune didn’t exactly get in the traditional way. I believe there were some… inaccuracies on his transcript?”

Almost every single person in the room- the exception being Qrow- stared at Oz, waiting for an explanation. “Oh, I’m sorry,” the headmaster chucked. “Did you think I was unaware?”

“Well…” Jaune hesitated. “I guess I just assumed-”

Oz huffed, “And here I thought you all knew me better than that.”

A laugh rose from the table and with that, the conversation flowed away, effortlessly shifting from one topic to another. Ali had never been so grateful for a topic shift in her life, and she really had Oz to thank for that. And he was right. They would start eventually. When they were both ready. And there was nothing wrong with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHH, my first time being able to write our other Next Gen OCs!!!!! I'm so excited!!!! Sure, they're babies, but it still counts! XD Thank you for reading!!!!!!!


	5. Learning to Walk Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oz's original approach to training isn't quite Ali's style. Perhaps its time to try a different tact...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhhhh, I wish this hadn't taken me so long to finish, but! Other than that, I really like how it came out. Hope you enjoy reading XD

The clacking of metal on tile echoed through the hallways of Beacon Academy. Ali swears she would recognize that sound anywhere. To her, it meant her father was strolling through campus, his right hand tucked behind his back, his left gripping the top of the cane that he held so dear. On this particular day, the father-daughter duo were the only people roaming the halls of one of Beacon’s training facilities. The echoing lingered in the air, causing a haunted atmosphere to take over.

“Wow.” Ali observed, “This place is creepy when no one’s here.”

“There is a sense of eeriness to the building at this time,” her father agreed.

“Why are we here, anyway?”

“I thought we would try something different today.”

“... different?”

“Yes. You’re still uneasy about attempting our first lesson.”

The twelve-year-old averted her eyes, her cheeks burning for a moment at the mention of her blight.

“So maybe we need a new lesson,” Oz said coyly.

Ali’s gaze returned to her father, her expression flipped from embarrassed to confused. Knowing Oz, she wouldn’t get a real answer even if she asked him to elaborate.

Before she could voice a question at all, Oz stopped a few steps ahead of her, entering a code into a keypad on the wall to their left. A ring followed by a click indicated the door it was connected to had been unlocked and without a word, Oz disappeared into the unmarked room.

Ali stuttered, “Wh- what? Hey!”

She ran after her father and found him snooping around a storage room. Old sets of armor, training dummies, and empty dust cartridges littered the room. There was no rhyme or reason to the items that were stored here. It looked like this closet hadn’t been touched in decades.

As Ali trailed behind her dad, she watched as he opened random boxes and checked every corner of the room. “Ok, now what are we doing?” she asked.

“I could have sworn we had- ah!”

He cut himself off as his eyes landed on a dusty chest, sitting in the furthest corner. The lid popped open and the grey particles jerked violently into the air. Ali waved her hand to ward off the dust as she coughed, “What are you looking for?”

Oz stared into the container as if he had just struck gold. “You told your father that you were most likely going to fight with a sword when you entered Signal.”

“Yeah…”

“Why wait?”

“What?”

The headmaster knelt down, retracted his cane, and reached into the box. When he pulled his hand out it was holding quite the surprise: an old, standard short sword with a leather-wrapped hilt, silver hand guard, and steel blade. The blade seemed dull, well-used, and was undoubtedly covered in years of dust.

“Wow,” Ali laughed lightly. “And I thought Dad was the irresponsible one.”

Oz ignored her quip. Instead, he flipped around to face his daughter. Still on one knee, he rested his hand on the butt of the sword, keeping it standing up straight, blade down. The same way he holds his cane when he’s preparing to give a dramatic speech.

“You know, I think I finally understand why my usual method isn’t working for you.”

_And here it comes._

“It’s because you’re afraid,” he stated flatly. Ali was not prepared for his analysis to be so spot on. “Not of getting hurt or scratched,” he continued. “You’re afraid of failing. Of failing yourself, your cousins, your father. Afraid of what would happen if you start training and you’re ‘not good enough.’”

Words escaped Ali, caught in the back of her throat like cotton. She blinked a tear out of her eye and stared at the floor, her hands wringing nervously as she waited for Oz to get to the point.

“So here’s what we’re going to do. You and I are going to play a game.”

“What?” A sound that was half-cry, half-laugh fell from Ali’s lips. Now she had no idea where this was going.

“You heard me,” Oz smiled. “We are going to practice offense today. No instructions. No rules. No drills. I just want you to get used to having a weapon in your hand, to being on the battlefield, to attacking an opponent who won’t fight back- yet.”

The implication earned a smile from the twelve-year-old.

“Most importantly,” Oz pushed forward. “I want you to start believing that you have the potential to be the amazing huntress I know you’re capable of being.”

Another tear blinked away and splattered onto the floor, but when Ali looked her father in the eyes she felt a sense of relief. The tear may have even been one of happiness.

Suddenly, Oz lifted the sword, laying it out to Ali like he was presenting a weapon to a noble. “Your weapon. My guardian Angel.”

Ali let out a huff as she deliberately wrapped her hand around the hilt. The dust gathered on her other hand as she slid it across the blade. For a moment, all she could do was gawk at it. It was lighter than she imagined it to be. Her gaze floated from the war-torn blade to her father’s face. Something was glittering in his eyes. Ali hoped it was pride.

“Thanks, Dad,” Ali whispered as she wrapped her arms around Oz’s neck.

He held the back of her head as he hugged her back. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

As the dark haired girl took a step back, her eyes once again glued to the sword in her hand, her father announced, “Now. Your real training can begin.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Ali was shocked. Oz could tell. As soon as the words “I want you to attack me” came out of Oz’s mouth, his daughter returned to the hesitant, shy girl she was only an hour ago.

“You want me to _what_?” she had said incredulously.

It was in that moment that Oz realized that getting injured may not have been Ali’s main concern, but it was at least on the list. After all, she wasn’t stupid. Ali may have been young, but even she knew that her father had the skills to absolutely annihilate her on the battlefield if he felt so inclined. It took some heavy convincing for her to believe that Oz was not going to fight back. His only purpose for the day was to play defense in lieu of a training dummy for her to wack.

While Oz may have been able to block all of her attacks with his hand behind his back, it seemed that the training session was serving its purpose. Ali was becoming more comfortable with every swing of her sword. Her movements were natural, her technique was almost advanced for a novice her age. Observing her friends and family for years on end had given her a bit of an advantage as it were.

 _A visual learner,_ Oz noted.

Other than an instruction or two about footwork, Oz let the little one fight as wildly as her heart desired. At least now he had a better idea of her strengths and weaknesses, too.

An hour passed by in a blur as the two sparred in an empty classroom. All that could be heard was the clashing of metal on metal as the sword and the cane collided repeatedly.

Ali lunged at her father, swinging back-handed from the left, then returning from the right, before spinning around and swinging one more time from the left. The girl jumped back, taking a second to adjust her grip before lunging right back into the fray. Her sword dipped right as if going to attack before switching directions and coming from the left. Oz took a step back with the wrong foot and threw himself off. He leveraged his cane under the short sword and quickly flicked it up. The simple maneuver sent Ali’s sword skidding across the floor, and the child flying backwards, landing with a thud.

Whoops.

“Oh no. Ali, are you-”

A giggle cut Oz off.

“I’m good,” she laughed as she got to her feet.

For the first time in a while, Oz believed that Ali really was good. There was a spark in her eyes and a bounce in her step.

“Yes, well,” Oz sighed, “perhaps that’s enough for one day.”

“What? No!” Ali protested. “I wanna keep going!”

“You do?”

The twelve year old turned around and quickly retrieved her weapon as if to prove just how much she wanted to keep training. “Yeah! I haven’t gotten the best of you yet!”

The headmaster stifled a laugh, “Oh? You think you can best me, do you?”

“I almost did on that last move, didn’t I?”

A cocked eyebrow was all Oz could manage.

“You didn’t think I noticed,” Ali teased. “You disarmed me in a panic.”

 _Oh, suddenly she’s getting a big head, huh?_ Oz thought. Of course, she _had_ caught him slightly off guard.

“Perhaps you’re right,” Oz conceded. “But it’ll take more than a clever trick for you to land a hit.”

“Challenge accepted!”

Launching herself across the arena, Ali continued the training session without waiting for permission. A smile tugged at the corners of Oz’s lips as he watched Ali put everything she had into every swing of her sword. The spark in her eyes had turned into a fire and there was a sense of urgency in her every move. After some proper instruction, there was no doubt in Oz’s mind that the girl in front of him was going to make an excellent huntress one day. Who knows. Maybe one day she actually would be able to take her father on.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Seriously, is this thing endless?”

Ali had been scrolling through her father’s music library for what felt like an eternity, but could only have been ten minutes max. The family of four hadn’t even made it out of the city yet.

“Ali, just pick something,” Oscar huffed. “I can’t take the silence much longer.”

“It wouldn’t take this long if Dad didn’t download every freaking song he’s ever heard.”

“I’ll have you know that my broad music taste is the reason you’ve heard almost all of your favorites, young lady,” Oz piped up from the passenger seat.

“Ok, but do you really need five versions of the same song?”

“What?” Oscar questioned.

“Look!” the twelve-year-old emphasized, showing her brother the screen. “He has five _different_ versions of Ring of Fire. Who does that???”

“I find covers of songs to be very fascinating,” Oz explained wistfully. “One artist taking and reshaping the image and sound of another.”

“Ok, sure, but five times?”

“She has a point.”

“Are you two going to pick something or are you going to keep insulting my music library as we drive in silence?”

“I’m multitasking!” Ali laughed. “I can make fun of you _and_ pick a song!”

As Ali turned her attention back to the device in front of her, a title caught her eye.

“Oh! This is a good one.”

A light, melodic guitar duet dripped through the speakers.

_A million miles away  
Your signal in the distance  
To whom it may concern  
I think I lost my way  
Getting good at starting over  
Every time that I return_

“Good choice,” Qrow approved.

For a moment, the building intensity of the electric guitar was the only sound in the car, until Oscar cut in. “Where are we going, anyway?”

“It’s a surprise,” Qrow insisted, glancing at the kids’ reactions through the rearview mirror.

Oscar hesitated, “I-I don’t like that answer.”

“Ditto.”

Oz hummed, “You’ll see soon enough.”

Oscar and Ali were at the end of their ropes.

“Do you wanna try being _more_ ominous???” the older child wondered.

The younger one guessed, “Yeah, I don’t- I don’t think that’s possible.”

While the two parents exchanged a laugh, the siblings exchanged a concerned glance. Where the hell were they going?

Ali decided to shrug it off as the current song ended, meaning she had to cue up a new one. She hummed along as she watched storefronts and homes turn into trees and open fields. As the city disappeared behind them, the roads started to snake through the forest. Soon, they were winding their way up the mountain that overlooked the docks. Honestly, until now, Ali didn’t even know there were roads up this high.

Suddenly, Qrow pulled over on the side of the road and put the car in park. As far as Ali could tell, there was nothing around. 

“And we’re here,” their father announced.

“We are?” Ali asked.

Another smile passed between Oz and Qrow as they opened their doors and jumped out of the car in silence.

“Guess we’re still in ‘ominous’ mode,” Oscar grumbled.

The siblings followed their fathers’ lead and hopped out of the car. They made their way to the trunk where Qrow was retrieving something. When he reached in and pulled out Harbinger, Ali felt a pang in her chest.

“You brought your weapon?” she choked.

“Of course I did,” Qrow smirked. “I’ll definitely need it where we’re going.”

 _He’s messing with me, right?_ Ali hoped.

“Brought this, too,” Qrow added, reaching into the trunk again before pulling out an embellished silver cylinder with a lever sticking out of it.

“My cane?” Oscar raised an eyebrow.

“Yup. Catch.”

Qrow nonchalantly threw the weapon to his son, who caught the glittering handle with ease. The glowing green vine decals looked dim in the afternoon sunlight, allowing the red, green, and blue flower designs to pop. Sunlight glistened off the three striking bronze gears that controlled the retraction mechanism. From the circular handguard protruded a simple trigger, courtesy of Ruby. She had vehemently insisted that Oscar add a sniper rifle component to his weapon. Begrudgingly, he admitted that he couldn’t think of a downside to her idea and he went along with it. 

The fourteen-year-old activated his cane and held it cautiously as he asked, “Ok… why?”

“How else do you expect to defend yourself?” Oz countered vaguely. It suddenly came to Ali’s attention that Oz was holding his weapon, as well.

“Defend myself?”

“There’ll probably be a Grimm or two in our way,” Qrow shrugged as he shut the trunk.

“There’s gonna be what?” Ali panicked. She turned to Oz, her eyes glazed in fear.

“Dad, you don’t expect me to fight today, do you?”

“Do you want to?”

“Not really!”

“Good, you answered that one correctly,” Oz smiled. “You and I will trail behind as we walk. Let your father and brother take care of the threats.”

Ali’s gaze shifted from her father to the treeline. This far away from the city there was bound to be more Grimm in this forest than she had ever seen. Her shoulders started to tense up as she thought about what might lie ahead of them.

Oz read her mind. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”

Ali believed him. She took her father’s hand and they walked to a slight opening in the treeline. They started following a trail that Ali hadn’t noticed was there. 

As they walked deeper into the woods, Ali clung close to Oz. The trees obstructed the sunlight, the whole forest now cloaked in darkness. Empty, dark, quiet, like it’s hiding a secret within its trees. A growl ripped through the air from just ahead, and a shadow jumped out at Qrow. Ali flinched. But her father was able to dispatch the Grimm with two slashes of his great sword. A feral screech echoed around them and Oscar silenced it with one shot from his cane. Ali squeezed her father’s hand tighter.

“Are you alright?” Oz asked, noticing the heavier grip.

“I- I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

“It’s okay to be afraid, Aaliyah.”

“I’m not afraid...” Ali lied. She didn’t even believe herself.

Oz offered her a pointed look. “There’s no shame in fear. It’s what we do with our fear that defines us.”

Ali picked at the skin on the back of her hand. “But what if-” she stuttered, unable to ask such a damning question. “What if I’m too afraid to _do_ anything?”

“I understand your apprehension. Your hesitation. Your anxieties. What do you do when you come up against an obstacle with only one goal: your destruction? But at the end of the day, that’s really all a Grimm is. An obstacle.”

“Yeah, an obstacle with fangs and claws and no soul,” the twelve-year-old grumbled.

“Well, perhaps it is a bit of a daunting obstacle, I will give you that,” Oz chuckled. “But the important thing to remember about obstacles is that they are temporary. Easily discarded so that we may keep moving forward.”

“Even obstacles with teeth?”

“Yes. Even the ones with teeth.” The headmaster stopped walking. He let go of his daughter’s hand for a moment to face her. “And sure, some are harder to discard than others, but that’s why you have teammates. Friends. Even family. Someone to offer you some assistance-” a blood-curdling growl cut off the speech. Oz turned and delivered a flurry of blows to a Beowulf so fast and precise Ali could barely follow his movements. As the monster dissipated, Oz returned his gaze to the child and finished “- when the obstacle becomes too much to bear.”

With an inviting smile, Oz offered his hand once again and Ali accepted it. Seeing the shadows leaping out at Qrow and Oscar ahead still made her a little tense, but she trusted that her family would protect her- and themselves, for that matter. Eventually, the trees parted, and everything opened up.

“This view never gets old,” Qrow said as he put his weapon away. He clapped a hand onto his son’s shoulder as Ali and Oz approached from behind.

“Whoa…”

They were standing at the top of a cliff, overlooking the city of Vale. The water in the docks sparkled with the sun. Boats floating in and out of the harbor were so far away they looked more like toys than real ships. The city looked deceptively stoic, no activity visible, but Ali knew that it was alive with movement, like a sleeping giant. Mountains that acted as natural barriers to the kingdom stretched as far as the eye could see.

“And, you know, Ali,” Oz added, “the struggle is almost always worth it once you reach your destination.”

A smile stuck to the child’s face as she looked up at her father. He wrapped an arm around her, hugging her close, and Ali hugged his arm in return. As the sun started to set over the mountains, the water and sky turned a gorgeous shade of pink. For a while, the family of four simply stood, staring out at the city they called home, pointing out familiar places from their birds-eye view.

After a couple hours, as darkness set in, Ali wondered, “Are we going to head home now?”

“Home? What?” Qrow laughed. “You think the view is the only reason we brought you out here?”

“Well… Yeah.”

“I don’t think I’d mind if it was…” Oscar agreed dreamily.

“We got one more surprise for you.”

Both siblings cocked an eyebrow, waiting for their father to elaborate. Instead, he simply pointed to the sky.

As Ali looked up, the sight nearly took her breath away.

The sky was an inky black, like staring into a void with white freckles. There were almost twice as many stars in the sky compared to the view they had back home. 

“Oh wow…” Ali gasped.

Oscar added, “I almost can’t recognize the constellations anymore.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Oz said.

The siblings were finally able to pull their eyes away from the sky to laugh. Ali twisted around and noticed that the area around them was covered in plush grass. She walked a couple paces back to gain space between her and the cliff before lying down and throwing her hands behind her head. One by one, her family layed down next to her, filling the space around her. The twelve-year-old rested her head on Oz’s shoulder as he used his free hand to point out the constellations the kids should recognize. They got lost in the batch of new stars and the angle was slightly different than what they were used to, but with some help, Ali was able to pick out some familiar shapes.

As naturally as he drew in breath, Oz launched into “story-telling” mode, weaving a tale of warriors, nobles, and monsters. Even though she had heard the story a million times, Ali hung on every word, trying to pick up on details she may have missed before.

Suddenly, the words became harder to focus on. Ali felt like they were being watched. She sat up and twisted around. A quick glance at the treeline revealed piercing yellow eyes glaring back at her through the darkness.

“Dad, watch out!”

Qrow didn’t hesitate. He popped up, grabbed Harbinger from where he left it on the ground, and fired three quick shots into the forest. A Beowulf spilled out of the trees and collapsed in a heap. Oz wrapped an arm around Ali and hugged her close to make sure she’s okay.

Honestly? Ali was pleasantly surprised that she felt almost unphased.

In that moment, Ali knew that Oz was right. The Grimm? They were just obstacles. Obstacles her family knew how to discard with ease. And soon enough, she would, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone wanna guess where the title of this chapter came from? XD

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I love this character and the relationships we've built within this AU so it means so much to me that you decided to check it out! Reminder that if you're looking for updates on my writing and random extras from this AU, you can follow me on Tumblr @[ zacs-of-rwby](https://zacs-of-rwby.tumblr.com)! Thank you again for reading, stay safe everyone! 💚❤️🧡💙


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